Brown, Tucker Share Lead After First Round In Gettysburg
8/22/08
GETTYSBURG, Pa., Aug. 22, 2008 – Rookie Sara Brown of Tucson, Ariz., and Tour winner Kristina Tucker of Stockholm, Sweden, each carded a 4-under-par 68 to share a one-stroke lead after today’s first round of the $100,000 Gettysburg Championship.
Six players are one stroke back at 3-under-par 69 in Briana Vega of Andover, Md., Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, Calif., and Jin Young Pak of Kang Leung, South Korea, Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ontario, rookie Kylene Pulley of Kokomo, Ind., and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C.
Last week, Brown equaled her career-best finish by tying for third at the Greater Richmond Duramed FUTURES Classic. She also tied for third back in June in her second professional event at the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s major championship in Decatur, Ill.
Brown bounced back today from a three-putt bogey on her second hole with a 10-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole. She added two birdies on the back nine, hit 13 fairways and needed only 28 putts.
“I hit driver to 6-iron, but I kind of cheated a little and used the cart path to get some extra roll,” said a smiling Brown about setting up for eagle on No. 4.
The former All-American at Michigan State University welcomed her brother, Josh, back as caddie. They were reunited for the first time since The Duramed Championship in Mason, Ohio. Brown’s mother was on the bag last week in Richmond, Va., as she closed out the inaugural event with back-to-back rounds of 4-under-par 68.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well again,” Brown said. “My putting was awesome today and I was able to putt nine times within 15 feet even though I made only four -- but one was an eagle.”
Brown and Tucker echoed many players’ sentiments of a tricky pin location on the par-3, third hole. Brown carefully observed her playing partners on that hole, watching as their respective putts trickled past the hole on a treacherous slope. Rather than putting off the green and having to putt back up the slope, Brown drained her first birdie of the day.
“I was directly above the pin dreading a two-foot downhill putt,” Brown said.
Tucker earned her first win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour at the El Paso Golf Classic earlier this season. She was equally effective with the putter today, finishing her round with just 29 putts. The fifth-year professional gave credit to her husband, Paul Tucker, for helping reading the greens and being a calming influence on the course.
“My putting was good today,” Tucker said. “I’ve been struggling in the last few tournaments and to get 29 putts on these greens makes me very happy.”
Tucker continues to sit on the bubble in the Tour’s top 10 of the season money list, coming into Gettysburg ranked 13th.
“I’ve been thinking about it, but there’s nothing I can do except go out there and play my best,” Tucker said.
Vega also had an adventure on the third hole, sitting three feet above the hole with a chance at birdie. Her birdie putt rolled back 15 feet below the hole, but she was able to save par going back uphill.
“I thought the greens were drying out, so it was a big advantage to play in the morning,” Vega said. “I didn’t do anything crazy today and I was able to make some short putts.”
Coming into Gettysburg ranked fourth on the season money list, Pak was tied with Brown for the lead at 4-under par through 17 holes before she settled for a three-putt bogey on her final hole.
“I was really happy with my score until my last hole,” Pak said. “I thought I played good on the back nine, but the greens were really fast.”
Ferrero made five consecutive birdies on the front nine after opening today’s round with two bogeys in her first three holes.
“My sponsors keep telling me that my scorecard looks like a coloring book because of all that red, green and black,” said Ferrero, who has finished in the top 10 in three of the Tour’s last four events. “I just told myself after the bogey on three, ‘I’m in big trouble if I don’t get things turned around in a hurry’.”
Ferrero responded with a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole and made a 25-foot putt for birdie on No. 5. From there, she converted three straight birdie putts within 10 feet.
Second-round play begins Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.
For real-time scoring and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
South Korean Trio Feeling Sense of Urgency as Season Closes
M.J. Hur of Seoul, South Korea, Jin Young Pak of Kang Leung, South Korea, and Song Yi Choi of Seoul, South Korea, are knocking on the door to the LPGA Tour, currently ranking third, fourth and sixth, respectively, on the season money list.
The three players feel like their paths are crossing at an interesting time, but the trio has experienced a level of success that mirrors South Korean Duramed FUTURES Tour alums on the LPGA.
South Korean Seo-Jae Lee earned her LPGA Tour card in 2007 by finishing fifth on the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s season money list. In 2006, Song-Hee Kim and Inbee Park earned their cards, finishing first and third on the money list, respectively.
Adding Jimin Kang and Aram Cho from 2004, and 2003 card winners Soo Young Moon and Birdie Kim helps make the Duramed FUTURES Tour a Korean pipeline onto the LPGA Tour.
Hur grabbed her first professional win as a rookie at the Louisiana Pelican Classic in the third event of the season. Pak is trying to reclaim LPGA Tour status she held in 2007 and has a pair of runner-up finishes in 2008. Choi has been a model of consistency in her second year with the Duramed FUTURES Tour with seven top-10 finishes.
Hur and Pak have jelled together on and off the course, first meeting last year in Florida at a Starbucks restaurant. They have traveled together the majority of the season and have formed a sister-like relationship.
“We are really close and we know each other very well,” said the 18-year-old Hur. “She’s really kind and I hope we can get our cards together.”
With the season coming to a close, Hur and Pak have consulted with 2006 Duramed FUTURES Tour card winner and 2008 U.S. Women’s Open champion Inbee Park for advice.
“She just tells us to finish strong and not worry about what’s coming,” Hur said.
Choi remains reserved and quiet on the golf course, but the second-year Tour pro wouldn’t change anything about her approach to the game. She has rightfully earned the reputation of being a tireless worker and can usually be found on the putting green or the driving range into the waning hours of the day.
“I think I’m getting close to a win,” Choi said. “I have had some missed putts this year and my mental approach hasn’t always been good. The reason I stay quiet on the course is to help me focus.”
Shepley, Schneider Close Out YES! One Grand Challenge Schedule as Winners
Jessica Schneider of Elgin, Ill., and Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ontario, walked away winners in the final YES! One Grand Challenge earlier this week at The Links at Gettysburg.
Schneider won the Wednesday edition with a 25-foot putt on the second hole of sudden death. It was her first entry of the season in the putting challenge after she switched to the YES! brand for the Tour’s major championship in Decatur, Ill.
“I guess the first entry was a charm,” Schneider said. “I feel like I’ve always been a good putter, but I definitely was able to put a good roll on it.”
Schneider observed 2008 Tour winner Leah Wigger of Louisville, Ky., on the previous shot before lining up her winning putt.
“Leah (Wigger) put a really good roll on the ball and almost knocked it in,” Schneider said. “We were all holding our breath.”
Schneider and Wigger were joined in the playoff by Brenda McLarnon of Belfast, Ireland, Ashley Grier of Hagerstown, Md., Christine Boucher of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Catherine Matranga of Fort Worth, Texas, and Esther Moon of Nashville, Tenn.
Shepley two-putted the fourth hole of sudden death to win the Thursday showdown and outlasted defending Gettysburg Championship winner Vikki Laing of Musselburgh, Scotland. Laing’s eight-foot uphill putt veered left of the hole on her second shot.
Sasha Medina of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Adriane Duke of Jonesboro, Ark., Amber Prange of Noblesville, Ind., and Ulrika Ljungman-Smith of Stockholm, Sweden, advanced to the final round of Thursday’s challenge.
Schneider and Shepley joined Janell Howland (McAllen, Texas) of Boise, Idaho, Caroline Larsson (Leawood, Kan./Concord, N.H.) of Stockholm, Sweden and Laing (Decatur, Ill.) as 2008 OGC winners.
